{"id":11365,"date":"2022-05-24T14:46:06","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T14:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=11365"},"modified":"2022-05-31T10:49:32","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T10:49:32","slug":"5-ways-to-help-your-teen-reframe-exam-worries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/5-ways-to-help-your-teen-reframe-exam-worries\/","title":{"rendered":"5 ways to help your teen reframe exam worries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Exam season can bring up lots of worries for teens. Like, what if their mind goes blank in the exam hall? Or what if they fail, and then can\u2019t get into their top choice uni? Sometimes their worries get in the way of sleep, and even affect how they do on their exams\u2013the exact thing they were afraid of! But the good news is that worries are just thoughts, and a thought can be changed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 5 tips on how to help them turn their worries around:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Encourage them to make friends with their worries.<\/a><\/li>
  2. Show them how to challenge their worrying thoughts.<\/a><\/li>
  3. Encourage them to make time for self-care.<\/a><\/li>
  4. Show them how mistakes and setbacks are helpful.<\/a><\/li>
  5. Remind them about what they do well.<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    1. Encourage them to make friends with their worries<\/strong>.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Let them know that worrying about exams is completely normal. That even the most seasoned exam-taker gets those pre-exam nerves. It\u2019s true that stress can feel pretty physically uncomfortable with their heart thumping away, and their stomach twisting in knots. But you can remind them that those feelings are nothing to panic over\u2013that it\u2019s just the body\u2019s way of getting ready for a new challenge. And some stress is actually good! It gets them pumped and ready for the big event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Show them how to challenge their worrying thoughts.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Good stress becomes bad stress if they let it take over. And exam season does drag on a bit. A good way to show them exams won\u2019t go on forever is by tacking a calendar up where they can see it, and drawing a circle around the end date. It reminds them that there is <\/em>life after exams. And in the meantime, the trick is to help them see exams in a new way. Here\u2019s something they can try in a journal: Have them draw a line down the middle of their page. On one side of the page, they can write down all their worrying thoughts. And on the other side, they can challenge those thoughts. Like this example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n


    My worries

    <\/td>
    Push back

    <\/td><\/tr>
    I\u2019m not good enough.
    <\/td>    		There are lots of things I\u2019m good at, like writing stories. I\u2019m a good cook too.

    <\/td><\/tr>



    I\u2019m going to draw a blank in the exam


    <\/td>


    I\u2019ve had lots of practice with revision. And I\u2019ve done well on tests, quizzes and mocks before. My mind didn\u2019t go blank then.


    <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    This super simple activity helps them question whether their worries are actually true, which helps calm things down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Encourage them to make time for self-care.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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